I'm In Love With a Fairy Tale
by tasha221bincamelot
Summary: Before Prince Arthur, heir to the British Throne, went to sleep every night, his nanny would always read him his favourite tale. This tale became a ritual as he got older, when on his birthday, he would read that story to himself, and hope one day, he could find someone of his own. What he doesn't expect though is at his 21st Birthday, to actually fall in love with his fairy prince


The snow was reaching at least eight inches deep by now, something that the nation hadn't seen in this part of the country in many years. Although, as one could easily tell you, it was bitter cold outside; on the inside, it was toasty warm.

The coal-fire was crackling nicely, a gauge placed in front to prevent the young prince from catching fire, as he was one hyperactive child. The young prince, who was named Arthur, was dressed up in his favourite costume, a knight in shining armour, well I'd say shining from the tin-foil coated sword and armour. Arthur the knight, was on guard, determined to slay the enemy, an evil dragon who kept watch over the damsel in distress, who happened to be his sister, Princess Morgana.

Morgana stood, wobbling a little wearing too-big platforms on the chair, tin-foil tiara on her head, and wearing a pretty pink dress, squealing "Oh young brave knight, how this foul creature keeps me in distress, save me from this savage beast."

Arthur called from behind the dragon, who happened to be their friend Mordred, the young Earl of Cardigan, "Don't worry my fair princess, I'll slay this creature with my strength and ultimate courage."

Morgana tossed down a piece of cloth from the chair, which Arthur caught in his babyish-like hands. "Here is a token of my affection."

"Thank you."

Mordred and Arthur would then use their toy swords to battle it out against each other, Arthur defeating the evil knight, and then Morgana slipped out of the shoes and jumped off from the chair. "Thank you kind knight."

As one would always know, once a princess was saved, the knight or prince or whoever, kisses the princess, they fall in love, get married and live happily ever after. Well, since Morgana was Arthur's sister, things here worked a little differently.

"Eugh, I'm not kissing you," Arthur started.

"And I'm not kissing you!'

They child-like game was cut short by the nanny, who went by the name of Alice. "Children, it's getting late and we all need our beauty sleep. Now be good little darlings and lets clean this mess up and get you all ready for bed."

"Yes Nanny."

After returning the items to the dressing-up chest, a warm bath and a fresh set of clothes, Arthur was ready for bed. As the youngster slipped under the covers, gathering himself into a sitting-like position, Alice cleared the final of his things in his gigantic room. She lay a fresh set of clothing on the futon for the prince to change into the morning after, and had added more coal to the fire, as central heating in the palace was non-existent.

Gragging her aching self over to the bookshelf, Alice turned to a beaming Arthur. She never needed words from the golden boy which book he would be requesting that evening. The young lad had tons of books on the bookshelf and in the bookcase, but there was that one which were his favourite, and that he couldn't let go of.

"The Prince and his Prince is it tonight my cherry blossom?"

"Yay! I love that story."

"I know you do."

Even though being nanny to three children, and with Mordred as a special guest at the palace, four, a tiring, self-motivating job, the joy on Arthur's blossomed face every evening made her high as a kite.

The Pendragon Children, ideally symbolised as the children of King Uther Pendragon, King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, were of Morgause, the eldest of the three, at fourteen, Arthur at eight, and Morgana at seven.

Alice dropped herself at the side of the bed, the main light switched off and the bedside lamp flickering away, as well as the light from the fire, enabled Alice to read the words with ease. Arthur tugged his way down, his fluffy hair flopping onto the pillows, as Alice began to read.

_Once upon a time in a faraway land, there lived a prince called Arthur (_you can see why he like the story already)_. Arthur was a noble man, who saved princesses from towers and slayed dragons and helped the people in the villages from monsters. Everyone loved Arthur, including Prince Merlin. Merlin was a prince who lived in a nearby kingdom, and was a friend of Arthurs. One day, it was Arthur's birthday, and prince Merlin came to celebrate. Sitting at the table together, eating some of the food from the feast, Merlin turned to Arthur, who was grinning at the Prince, and said "I like you Arthur. You are a good prince, and any princess would be a brilliant queen."_

_Arthur turned to Merlin, and replied to the prince, "I like princesses, but I also like princes, and a prince would make a wonderful king."_

_Prince Merlin grinned a wide grin, who carried on. "But you are the king, well, you will be one day. You can't have another king, you need a queen."_

_Arthur wouldn't take Merlin's word, and replied. "So, when I become king, it will be law that a king can have another king beside him, even if there is no queen."_

_Merlin grinned, Arthur smiling with pride. "You'd be a good king, Arthur."_

_Arthur grinned even more, almost that his face was sore from all the grinning, "So would you." Arthur leaned closer to Prince Merlin and held his hand. Prince Merlin smiled at the touch, and leaned in to plant a kiss to Arthur's cheek, Arthur doing the same to Merlin. From that day on, Prince Arthur and Prince Merlin would stay side-by-side, helping people and defeating monsters, and from that day on they lived happily ever after._

"Prince Arthur is the hero!"

"Yes, I know it's your favourite story, but it's time for sleep now."

"Nanny?"

"Yes Arthur?"

"I wonder, why have I never seen a King and another King rule a country before?"

"You don't need to worry Arthur."

"But why?"

"You're too young to understand Arthur, and one day you will. Now go to sleep."

"Yes Nanny." Alice went to flick the switch, raising the duvet to Arthur's shoulders and planting a soft kiss to the side of his forehead, as he hugged his cuddly dragon and went to sleep.

Many winters had passed, and Arthur had grown up very fast. Arthur was now fifteen, and was sorting through his old books with Alice to donate to the children's hospital. Arthur was kneeling down, sorting through some old children fairytale books, when Alice picked the one book up, and was about to throw the one into the box, when from the corner of his dark blue eye, Arthur noticed the old, battered cover of the book, and dropped all the others to make contact with the book.

"No, that stays here!"

Alice sighed. They'd had this talk for nearly three years now, and nothing had changed, and this was to be the fourth failed attempt. "But Arthur, you're too old for this book now."

"No one is ever too old for The Prince and his Prince."

"Arthur, you're a young man. This is a children's book, maybe someone else will want the pleasure of the book more than you."

Arthur was not a man to give in though. "No! This book is staying here with me, where it belongs!"

Although teenagers are not meant to squabble with their nannies, Arthur wouldn't back down from this disagreement, and for as long as he lived, would keep the book in posssession.

Three days later, Arthur had turned sixteen, and every year on this very night, Arthur would settle down before sleep and read the book. For the last couple of years, Arthur had noticed the character in the book, illustrations included, to be quite alike himself. He was the character in the book, he needed his Prince Merlin. Although he had met many princesses, and he did like some, none were like the Prince Merlin Arthur imagined, and none could compare to him. Arthur would wait until he found his Prince Merlin.

The discovery of his Merlin wouldn't come a reality until five years later after that very night. For his twenty-first birthday, the golden prince stood proud at a feast prepared for him in red robes, stiched with golden silk. Many Kings, Queens, Princes, Princesses and you name had attended the gala ball, where the names of the guests were called out by a royal servant. The now much older Princess Morgause, who was married to Prince Cenred, dined to the one side of the royal table, Princess Morgana dined at the other side, where she was escorted by Prince Gwaine.

Princess Guinevere and her husband Prince Lancelot, Arthur's long-life friends, had also attended the banquet, and as the endless list piled on, Arthur smiled and waved, as they took their place. One name was to strike Arthur with a blow, fantasy flooding in to his brain, clashing with the reality, and creating a complex system of trail and thought.

The servant read. "Prince Merlin." Arthur's head jolted up from his seat, where he was analysing a grape, and this young, dashing prince swaggered his way through the grand, oak doors. Merlin was a wonder. Tall in height, and showing in places, quite lean muscle coated in pale, milky skin. Merlin had a blue robe, silver silk stiched onto the velvet fabric. The rest of his clothing were blue and black, minus his crown, which was silver. Merlin had dark, unruly hair, but suited Arthur's taste, had prominent cheekbones and illuminating eyes, a shade of blue Arthur had never come across before, only in the book. This was Arthur's Merlin.

Merlin bowed to Arthur, who was known as the Prince of Wales, and shot a beam at Arthur. "A pleasure to be here, your majesty."

Usually, Arthur would just say thank you, and he, she or they would just walk off and be done for the night, but no, Arthur was different on this one. Arthur raised from his chair, his servant George rushing over to see what the fuss was about, but Arthur raised a hand, and rounded the table, so that he was directly in front of Merlin.

Arthur bowed to Prince Merlin, and took his hand in his own, giving a small kiss to the ghostly white knuckles. "No, the pleasure is mine, your majesty."

The majority of the night would unwind in song and dance, but for Arthur, it was chatting to Merlin over dinner and wine, and then returning to his chambers early, a fire made for him, so that he could read the book. Flicking the pages, and tracing the images of Merlin with his thumb, thoughts crossing his brain of Prince Merlin taking Arthur up an alcove, kissing until they were lifeless, Arthur's fantasies would be intervened when a figure slid past the door, Arthur suddenly hiding the book behind his back, embarrased to the core.

"Hey," a soft whisper could be heard, only to come from the warm lips of Merlin's.

"Hi, having a good night?" Arthur politely asked, Merlin taking the other chair next to Arthur's.

"Well, I would be, if you downstairs with me having fun. What are you reading?"

Arthur flustered, both at the thought of Merlin wanting to be with Arthur, and that of the book. "Erm... nothing."

Merlin's gaze was warm and open, and Arthur gave him, shuffling his arms back to their original place, holding the book out to Merlin, expecting the young man to laugh, instead, shocked to hear a gasp. "I love this book. I have mine at home, I wouldn't get rid of it though."

Arthur blushed, and Merlin leant up to trace Arthur's blush, a thumb gently running down his cheek. "Don't feel ashamed, I'm the same as you. Now come and have some fun."

Arthur and Merlin that evening wouldn't leave each other's sides, but were about to when the party was over and all were either leaving or going to the guest chambers for the night. Merlin's were positioned near Arthur's, but an alcove came in the way first, before reaching the two sets of rooms.

A little wobbly but both still nonetheless sober, they leaned on each other, easing the other's weight up the narrow staircase, often bumping into each other, the other becoming flushed at the intimate contact. Reaching the alcove, both came to a standstill. Fortunately for them, a maid was rushing by, as she knocked Arthur, pressing Merlin straight into the stone wall, Arthur directly pressed to him.

Easing back a little, just to be sure, Merlin admitted to Arthur, "You're a good prince Arthur, from what I've heard, and any princess would be lucky to be your queen."

"Or any prince be lucky to be your king, or maybe my king?"

"You know that prince's can't marry Arthur."

Arthur was by sure that Prince Merlin was the character from the book, and Arthur the other. "So, when I'm king, I'll change that. Sod the tradition, but it doesn't stop prince's from loving each other."

Okay, so the next few moments didn't exactly follow suit to the story in the book, but this was the modern ages after all. Merlin beamed at Arthur's previous comments, rasing Arthur's hand, hot breath ghosting over his knuckles, and leaning down to kiss them, swiping his tongue over each knob. Merlin looked up at Arthur, was who aroused from Merlin's gesture, where Arthur glided his fingers up Merlin's chest, up to his neck, where they slipped in between strands of Merlin's hair, playing with the strands, as Arthur made the final step forward, back to being pressed up to Merlin.

"I love you Arthur." Arthur leaned forward and placed a chaste kiss to Merlin's lips. Merlin responded, placing a few kisses across Arthur, Arthur replying with, "I love you too. I think I always have." The kiss from there was long and deep. As Arthur's room was closer, Merlin abandoned his own chambers for the night, spending his night writhing under Arthur, making love together, and then cradling each other as they feel asleep.

One night would turn into many nights, Prince Merlin often being a regular special guest, and Arthur travelling up to Wales to spend long periods of time with Merlin. Following the death of King Uther, Arthur, now twenty-seven, would take the throne at King Arthur. Attending meetings, his first act was to enable King's to marry King's, as it was already legalised to love another of your gender.

A year later, following much debate, the Act was finally passed, and on Christmas Day that year, Arthur, now twenty-eight and Merlin, now at twenty-five, would stand before witnesses, marrying the other.

"Do you, King Arthur Pendragon of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, take Prince Merlin Emrys of Wales to be your lawful-wedded husband?" Geoffrey asked.

Arthur replied, "I do."

"And do you, Prince Merlin Emrys of Wales, take King Arthur Pendragon of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, to be your lawful-wedded husband?"

"I do."

"By the power invested in me, I declare you as one." Arthur took Merlin into his arms, and kissed Merlin, the attendees cheering, and probably many more watching the live broadcast of the wedding on their television sets.

Now married, the royal ceremony could begin. New Year's Day the following year, another broadcast was made. The crowing of King Merlin, in hands with King Arthur.

Although Geoffrey would be conducting the ceremony, Arthur was the one who would place the crown on top of Merlin's head, beaming at Merlin as their moment of glory finally came.

"I Arthur Pendragon, place this crown atop of your head, on the declaration that you have sworn under your command to guide, lead and protect your people." Arthur turned to the crowds before them, as he settled onto his throne. Both joined hands, grinning at each other. "Ladies and Gentleman, on this day, I present to you. Merlin Emrys, King of Great Britain and Northern Ireland."

The crowds cheered as Merlin waved the special royal wave to everyone, as in arm, King Arthur and King Merlin departed the throne room of the palace, stopping at the doors before returning to their chambers for intimate celebrations. As people rushed past, the crowds muted down until they were left alone. Merlin slid his hands around Arthur's waist, Arthur's in Merlin's hair and across Merlin's back. "I'm in love with a fairy tale."

"So am I. I love you, _King_ Arthur."

"And I forever love you, _King _Merlin."

Merlin leaned forward to kiss Arthur, Arthur letting out small gasps as Merlin was doing pleasurable things to Merlin, as they charged for the stairs towards their chambers, and as they at the end of every fairytale, they lived happily ever after.


End file.
